Man trapped in elevator, so is his rescuer

Staff report

A man--and then the firefighter who rescued him--were trapped in Loop condo high-rise elevators for some 3½ hours Sunday night.

Firefighters were called to the Park Monroe Condominiums, 65 E. Monroe St. near Millennium Park, about 9:15 p.m. to rescue a man who was trapped in a stalled elevator between the 21st and 22nd floor of the 49-story building, said Chief Kevin McGregor, a fire department spokesman.

A firefighter went up in another elevator in an adjoining shaft, exited through the ceiling hatch to get to the other elevator's hatch to transfer the trapped man and bring him down.

But after the transfer was made, the second elevator stalled and wouldn't come down, McGregor said.

Firefighters considered breaking through a brick wall to get into the elevator through the shaft and using ropes to bring the trapped men out, but didn't have to after an Otis Elevator Co. engineer was able to reset the elevator switch from the roof, put it in "inspection mode" and operate it manually, McGregor said.

"We were working late at night in a dark elevator shaft--it was dangerous work," McGregor said.

He said firefighters were in communication pretty much the whole time with the trapped building resident, a man in his 20s.

The problems with both elevators appeared to be electrical and were being addressed by Otis, McGregor said.